


Candy corn, pine cones, spooky and epic

by Robin_Hood



Category: Green Creek Series - T.J. Klune
Genre: but - Freeform, fake - Freeform, fluff is more toothrotting than halloween candy, gordo is a dad bye, it be like that sometimes, kinda angsty, late, oof, pure fluff?, soft, sorry - Freeform, thi is, thomas can fuck off with his father fuire sht, what do you expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 01:42:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16483685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robin_Hood/pseuds/Robin_Hood
Summary: Gordo takes lil ox trick or treating because maggie is busy, and Curtis is a piece of shit.





	Candy corn, pine cones, spooky and epic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PalmettoFoxDen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PalmettoFoxDen/gifts).



“No, Ox stop Gordo’s on the phone. Talk to me about it later hon,” Maggie sounded tired on the other end of the phone, and Gordo could vividly picture the disappointment on Ox’s face, “Sorry Gordo, what were you saying about the car?”

Gordo hesitated, but caught himself, relaying the information that the only thing needed was an oil change. He stopped Maggie as she was about to hang up, a vague idea in regards to what Ox was talking about. The kid didn’t talk much, aside from when it involved something like candy, cars, or unnecessarily complex costumes.

“Are you and Ox doing anything for Halloween?” He asked as casually as he could. He knew Maggie was always busy to some extent, whether it was dealing with work, Curtis, or Ox. He doubted she had extra time to think about Halloween, but then again, he wasn’t a mother.

“I…someone at the diner needed someone to cover their shift, and Curtis…” she paused, and Gordo felt the familiar anger pooling in his stomach when the man’s name was mentioned, “Curtis is busy.”

 _If busy means fucking around at the bar, sure,_ Gordo thought scornfully.

“I can take him,” Gordo offered, and had a quick, unwelcomed thought involving Elizabeth, and how he had always protested taking the younger Bennetts out for candy. If only she could see him now…

“Oh Gordo I don’t want-”

“Maggie, it’s the least I can do for you. I would cover the shift if I could, but I don’t think anyone in this town wants to see the day when Gordo goes to the diner for anything but a burger.”

Maggie let out a rare laugh.

“Alright,” she conceded, “He doesn’t have a costume though.”

Gordo smiled, though she couldn’t see it.

“I can take care of that.”

\---

Three days later, Gordo parked his car outside the blue house to pick up Ox. The kid was sitting on the porch kicking his legs, watching Gordo with cautious yet curious eyes.

“Hey kid,” he called, and Ox gave him a small nod in response.

“How about we work on getting that costume you wanted?” Gordo wasn’t good at small talk. He didn’t see the point of it. Ox seemed to be relieved he didn’t ask any questions, and climbed inside the car after calling a quick farewell to Curtis who must have been inside. There was no response, but Gordo swallowed the bitterness he felt.

The car ride to the single pop up Halloween store in Green Creek was silent for the most part. Ox hummed a tuneless song from time to time, seeming to catch himself doing it and quickly look at Gordo to see if he had heard. Gordo’s knuckles tightened on the steering wheel, but he let the anger pass for the most part. He didn’t do the best job of parking.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked as they entered the store, pushing his hands into his pockets.

Ox opened his mouth, closed it, and then let it settle somewhere in between as he took in the store.

“A wolf,” he said definitively, and looked up at Gordo.

Gordo nodded his head, because of course, if he was going to take a kid out on Halloween again, it would have to be as a wolf. That’s just how the world worked when it came to him.

The two passed through a number of aisles, and when they found the prosthetics, Gordo started looking through them, grateful that Ox was a kid who grew fast so his face might actually fit the pieces. Ox was staring up at Gordo, and then looking back down the aisle.

“Aren’t you just going to…grab the already finished costume?” Ox asked quietly, his eyebrows coming together in confusion. Gordo sighed, crouched a little so that the two of them were facing each other eye to eye. He held up the prosthetic.

“Look Ox, if you’re doing this with me, it’s the whole thing. Not some half a…attempted costume, a real, thought out, scary costume,” he gestured over at the premade costumes, “with stuff like that, you’ll just end up looking like a furry.”

“A what?” Ox asked, his eyebrows becoming even more furrowed.

 _God damn it_.

“Never mind. Just. This is going to be the best costume you ever get. I swear.”

Ox’s eyes sparkled, and Gordo had to look away.

“Thank you Mr. Gordo,” Ox said almost reverently.

“Just Gordo,” he sighed.

“Mr. Gordo.”

“Gordo.”

Ox mumbled “Mr. Gordo is more polite” under his breath, and Gordo couldn’t help but smile. What a kid.

\---

Maggie called Gordo a few days later with nothing but thanks, and talking about how excited Ox was about Halloween now. Gordo told her not to worry about it, and that he had plenty of time to figure things out for Ox.

Apparently, Ox had refused to take the teeth they had bought out since he had gotten home, and had taken to growling from time to time. The next time Gordo saw him at the shop with Curtis before he went home, Ox grinned at him, the teeth still in place.

 _Stupid kid_ , Gordo thought fondly.

\---

The night of Halloween, Gordo made sure to wait Curtis was gone before knocking on the door. Maggie was already in her diner uniform, and barely thanked Gordo on her way out, letting him know where the supplies were before jumping into the car and driving away.

Gordo stepped into the house, looking around at the pictures on the walls, remembering how they used to be before things changed. He forced himself to focus as Ox walked into the room, looking shy and covering his mouth with his hand.

“What’s with that?” Gordo gestured to Ox’s hand, and Ox turned bright red and looked down, picking at the prosthetic on the table.

“Nothing,” he barely mumbled it.

“Ox.”

The hand fell, and Gordo felt tired.

The memories in the house were bad enough. He didn’t need his anger, and memories of the pain his own father inflicted on him to resurface now. The mark on Ox’s lip wasn’t too serious, but that wasn’t the point. Gordo knew who had done it, and it made him want to watch the world burn while he, Ox, and Maggie all made s’mores on the flames.

“Have to go start getting candy soon,” Ox mumbled, avoiding Gordo’s gaze.

“Right. Yeah.”

The next minutes were silent, Gordo focusing on the costume, making it the best that it could be. If he used magic to make it look better, feel more comfortable, anything, no one had to know. Ox grabbed a bucket, and the two walked out into the quickly darkening Green Creek.

\---

The night was good.

Ox was smiling the whole time, taking pride in the compliments that people gave him. Gordo ignored the people for the most part, but was admitably happy to be around the other people of green creek for the first time in a while.

It seemed like for a moment, he could pretend that this was all there ever was.

And that this was all there ever would be.


End file.
